We built this city!!!

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What with all the technology and the digital tools we use I’ve come to appreciate the simple, crafty activities we do in the classroom…

Here’s a craft that we can start in D and could evolve into a communicative activity in E and St classes!

We can start it in D class, when we have taught the places / buildings in a village/town/city (Unit 3, Lesson 2, My city). The students bring an empty carton of milk (or an empty packet of biscuits) and glue a piece of paper on it (A4). On the piece of paper they can each draw the building/shop they like.

For our project we used this template so that the buildings/shops would be of a specific size and look homogenous on our town. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_D7RFW1fAt_pHGnvrM3z9C1gnRvio49a/view?usp=sharing

We can either use a big cardboard sheet on a desk or a big piece of a Styrofoam sheet. Then we put everything the students created and we ‘design’ our city: where the streets, the buildings, the parks (and anything else the students’ imagination would deem necessary!) would go/ any trees, inhabitants, etc they would bring and add in their city.

We can then use our ‘city’ in E class (Unit 3, Lesson 2 ‘How can I get to …?’) and St class (Unit 5, Lesson 2 ‘Transportation’) for actual 3D practice: in pairs the students have to ask for and give directions to a specific place in the city. After students have studied the expressions for asking for and giving information 

(here’s a useful handout: Asking-for-giving-directions.pdf)

a dialogue like this can ensue:

-By car or on foot? (One of the students holds a car and a figurine of a person. The other student has to choose the transportation means)

-Goodmorning. Could you show me the way to… (pointing to a shop/building)?

-Go down (… street – the students have given names to the streets) and take the (second) turning on the (right) into ….Street.

-(The other student follows the directions)

-The (…) is opposite/between/… You can’t miss it!

-Thank you very much!

-You’re welcome!

 

The gains from this activity are manifold: apart from being fun and interactive, students get an actual sense of direction, not to be acquired by any activity on a piece of paper (usually a map).  

Have a look: 

Visualising tenses

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Following the advice of my fellow teacher (now a pensioner!) Evi K., I created this imaginative way to help students remember the 4 basic tenses of the English Language, namely the Simple Present, the Present Continuous, the Simple Past and the the Past Continuous. 

The implementation of the plan is quite easy: you need a large flat piece of Styrofoam, some pieces of paper, some adhesive magnetic rolls, and, of course, a large magnetic board, coupled with some patience and skill in cutting the Styrofoam to the desired patterns.

The rationale behind the craft is to help students visualise the formation of some of the most basic tenses, namely the Simple Present, the Present Continuous, the Simple Past and the Past Continuous. Students, especially those who are strong in visual-spatial intelligence (cf. Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences) will be able to recognize patterns easily and, thus, memorise the tenses.

The use of certain shapes also helps towards the memorisation of the conjugation of verbs in those tenses (for example the triangle of the third singular person helps students associate it with the –s ending).

Have a look:

 

Tenses

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Having been teaching for many years now and seeing the anxiety of the students and the uncertainty in the use of tenses I decided to give the children a concisetable of all the tenses of the English language as I understand them in my mind. I hand them the photocopy at D class and tell them to keep it forever! (Of course, this is not always possible and next time I always need to re-photocopy some for the forgetful or for those who don’t have them ‘because my mum threw it away!’ 😆 )
So I tell them “I’m giving you a ‘crib sheet’ and I let you use it until you no longer need it!”
I divided the tenses into three broad categories: the times of the Past / Present / Future. Present Perfect tenses (Simple and Continuous) fall between the past and the present, as in many cases the action they describe began at some point in the past and either continues until now or we can see the results now. Future tenses form a pyramid with the top of the pyramid (Simple Future) being a decision of the moment, something more uncertain that it will happen. The more we move towards the base the more certain the action to happen is.
In each tense I have put the most basic elements of their formation, keywords and schematic representations. The fact that it is on one page helps students to gain a broader understanding of tenses and a visual representation.
I have always used this handout with elder students (when I was in private education) and as I said with younger ones (when they are introduced to grammar in a formal way). The students who eventually keep it tell me that it helps them a lot.

I hope you find it useful…

TENSES

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‘A party in the jungle’ puppet theatre No. 2

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This is my version of the ‘A party in the jungle’ using an empty cereal box.

I made my own small puppet theatre based on the idea of the Halloween one by Kids English Theatre (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZPQMy6cZBQ)

Here’s what I did: I took a box of cereals. I used a green background to convey the idea that it’s a jungle. I cut the figures carefully from the PEAP material (http://rcel.enl.uoa.gr/peap/taksi/kyklos-b/party-jungle?fbclid=IwAR06F3sPtRRn93ZTuoVWyVb47l32MiqLH-QgLUqZNufn2uPlQ7f-UOde04Y#material).

I stuck the image of the elephant and Leo on another piece of paper and added the missing parts as best as I could. I used the PEAP flashcards for Leo (http://rcel.enl.uoa.gr/peap/taksi/kyklos-b/fun-animals?fbclid=IwAR0-n-EXV0RA_J1icO7RtUlMNDSOX3ht0qv_UH8bUrodoExy3aPR1nquew0#material)

Don’t throw away the remaining bits of paper! You can use them in your green background.

Special thanks to my younger daughter, Kate, who was my very patient helper!

Well, hope you find it useful… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bydhWjRH9io&fbclid=IwAR143qf9AgWBPbWoc1un1Qe0n0VfyqO4e56vNdnBruNQyjuc_mp_lq4qigg

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‘A party in the jungle’ puppet theatre No. 1

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I tried to find an engaging and enjoyable way to teach 1st graders the jungle animals and Leo’s birthday… So I went around the house looking for the props and things to help me with my quest! Mind you, my daughters are not that young anymore, so it was more difficult to gather all the stuff I needed (I have left almost all my puppets at school…)

Well, OK, the parrot is not that much of a parrot, the yo-yo is a spinning wheel, the banana is a plastic corn and my zebra is yellow and blue (!!!) but I managed to get the meaning through! It was fun for the kids, who asked for a second and a third time! The cardboard theatre is something I had from a series of Greek fairy tales with puppets on which I added ‘the African jungle’ banner. I guess it’s not that difficult to make.

I’m sending you my video in case anyone finds it helpful !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkMKZMVcneA

This is the ‘performance’ on WeBex!

Halloween Puppet Theatre

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After watching this video  https://www.facebook.com/1859633737640612/posts/2783918198545490/ 

 I made my own version of the Halloween puppet theatre with ideas from 

https://mommymadethat.com/halloween-puppets-free…/… 

for the puppets.

Then I saw that there was a PDF

https://www.kidsenglishtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/02a-Halloween-Theatre.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3hizL7jb1JC7GONzmrlXbaZl9R4d78GnpIk_ZUYRJr267parBbXB8TinM

 for everything…Pfff. But it was great fun!

I think I’ll have kids in each class make their own versions, too!

This is how I made it:

Some students soon got the idea and created their own (without any help from me!)

Have a look:

 

 

Shadow puppet theatre

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‘Homemade productions’ presents: Shadow Puppet theatre!

It was something I long wished to make, partly because I adore puppets and partly because of all the excitement. In 2018 I attended a talk in TESOL Macedonia Thrace by Tatjana Jurišić (from Serbia) on the benefits of using shadow puppets in ELT: communicational and organisational problem-solving skills, collaboration, creativity, all present in the art and craft of creating and bringing shadows to life!

So I used a Styrofoam frame (probably from a refrigerator!!! – Don’t they say that teachers keep all sorts of unnecessary things, cardboard boxes, egg cases, you name it, for future use?) and set out to make my own shadow puppet theatre as I had it in my mind.

Turned out that I could do it in a much easier fashion with a cardboard box… (watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBwLs2lyWgU )

I chose the story of Polyphemus the Cyclops because I can use it as an example with my 6th graders (Unit 3, Imaginary Creatures, Lesson 1, Old and Modern Creatures).

I plan to use it like this: I will have 6th graders in pairs to write a short text about an imaginary creature and then create a short dialogue and a shadow puppet for it.

I will use the shadow theatre with 1st and 2nd graders as well, for the Little Red Riding Hood (with shadow puppets I have made myself and have them make their own for either LRRH or ‘The Three Little Pigs’.)

Well, here it is… Do be kind, as it’s my first attempt!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bad7R9eIjrw

Thanksgiving

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Every year (the fourth Thursday in November) people in the USA and (on the second Monday in October) in Canada, celebrate Thanksgiving Day .

It’s a big family holiday in North America, with rural origins (αγροτική προέλευση).

It started when the first European settlers (άποικοι) in North America wanted to thank God for their safe arrival (άφιξη) in the New World, but also for the good harvests (σοδειές) he gave them. So one day of the year they established (καθιέρωσαν) a meal in honor of (προς τιμήν) the Creator (Δημιουργός, δηλ. Θεός) with all the members of the family. Dinner traditionally (παραδοσιακά) begins with everyone saying a word for which they are grateful (ευγνώμων), followed by a prayer (προσευχή), during which those sitting at the table usually hold hands.

The turkey (γαλοπούλα) takes centre stage (είναι το επίκεντρο), followed by the filling (γέμιση), and the sauces (σάλτσες) cranberry sauce and gravy that accompany (συνοδεύουν) the turkey, with the almost never missing from the table. The side dishes (συνοδευτικά) are mashed potatoes (πουρές), sweet potatoes, green beans, Brussels sprouts (λαχανάκια Βρυξελλών) and pumpkin, which is either grilled, or soup or pie filling. “Thanksgiving” without pies or tarts is not possible. The 3 most popular, which complete the festive table in the sweetest way, are tart with pumpkin filling, apple pie and pecan pie.

See the foods here:

Turkey with stuffing

 

 

Christmas

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Christmas is Britain’s most popular holiday. 

At Christmas people decorate their houses, children sing carols and wait for Santa Claus to put presents in their stockings!

On Christmas Day all the family gather round for the Christmas dinner. 

The Christmas dinner is the main Christmas meal and is traditionally eaten at midday or early afternoon on Christmas Day.

Traditionally each family has roast turkey or goose, Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce, rich nutty stuffing, tiny sausages wrapped in bacon (pigs in a blanket) and hot gravy. 

A tradition associated with turkey for Christmas Dinner is the pulling of the wishbone by two people. The person who gets the larger part of the wishbone can then make a wish and wait for it to come true.

Here are some pics from the Christmas Dinner!

Apart from Santa Claus, people also believe in the existence of little creatures, Santa Claus’s helpers, the elves!

10 HABITS OF TECH-SAVVY TEACHERS

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It’s not the apps you use or the skills you’ve mastered that make you truly “tech-savvy.” Rather, it’s a whole attitude of mind.

Here are the 10 most essential habits of tech-savvy teachers.

  1. They are flexible. Technology is constantly changing and evolving. Tech-savvy teachers are able to roll with the punches and adapt as needed. They always have a “Plan B” and even a “Plan C” when things don’t go quite the way they’d hoped.
  2. They communicate digitally. Tech-savvy teachers are comfortable in the world of email and social media, and they intuitively understand how to use these tools appropriately and effectively.
  3. They embrace change. These teachers do more than simply tolerate big change. Usually, they are the ones pursuing it, bringing new innovations to their schools and districts.
  4. They keep their long-range goals in mind. Tech-savvy teachers never do anything simply for technology’s sake. They can articulate exactly how a particular technology advances their goals.
  5. They use technology in their day-to-day lives. These teachers don’t leave their technology at work. They use it for everyday activities like shopping, banking, and making plans with friends.
  6. Their attitude towards technology is balanced. As much as they love technology, they also realize that it isn’t everything! Good technology does not automatically make a good teacher. Besides, everyone needs a break from technology sometimes.
  7. They use the Cloud to make their classrooms paperless. Handing out paper assignments in class? Collecting and grading huge piles of essays? These tasks are a thing of the past, as tech-savvy teachers use Cloud technology to assign, collect and grade student work.
  8. They collaborate. Tech-savvy teachers always want to share their ideas and learn from others. Their excitement and their thirst for knowledge are insatiable. They even collaborate with teachers in other parts of the globe.
  9. They are skilled in digital assessment. There are plenty of assessment apps out there, but tech-savvy teachers know exactly which of these apps best meet their learning objectives.
  10.  They use a variety of apps. Why stick to just one or two apps when so many exist that can enhance their teaching? Teachers will use different apps depending on their subject and the age of their students.

(taken from https://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-habits-tech-savvy-teachers/)